Politicians and People will help young people out of homelessness

We must help young people out of homelessness. This is the answer of 80 percent of the Danish people and a large majority of the National Parliament of Denmark two new surveys show. The people of projekt UDENFOR welcomes the positive announcement and has a reform proposal ready.

Whereas a large majority of the parliament states that the future Government should work to reduce youth homelessness, 80 percent of the Danish people agree to prioritise public funds for a focused effort to bring young people out of homelessness. A telephone inquiry to members of the National Parliament by the homeless organisation projekt UDENFOR and an omnibus poll by the market research institute YouGov for projekt UDENFOR, respectively, show this.

Projekt UDENFOR finds it positive that homelessness, and youth homelessness, apparently is a subject preoccupying both politicians and population. Presently, the organisation is focusing on the homeless youth and has therefore launched a number of propositions for a homeless reform, bringing the young people out of homelessness. ”You have to realise that what the local authorities are doing, and have done so far, is simply not working”, says Ninna Hoegh, director of projekt UDENFOR. She hopes that the politicians listen to the message from the Danish people about prioritising means for a focused effort. And that the politicians, also after an election, stand by their declarations of intent and working so that the number of young homeless people is reduced considerably.

Since 2009, the number of young homeless people has increased considerably. In 2013, the number of young homeless people between 18 and 29 had reached 1,755. In order to reduce this number, projekt UDENFOR proposes a homeless reform that includes the following tools in the social work with vulnerable and homeless young people.

– Sanctioning of the local authorities, if they do not prepare action plans for young socially vulnerable people,

– psychologist treatment for young vulnerable people should be improved

– referral to hostels should be replaced by folk high school sojourns and actual housing

– public and private companies should be included in the social work, offering differentiated and alternative employment for young vulnerable and homeless people.